Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-07-24

| PCdCClU1 mSouC1S SOAuS W IolSC Co1u oA'
"prize" watermelons, to lay out towns, T.
found homes and schools, to build railroads
In short, to create new world.
On warm December day, near tn
close of this year of change, remember
am talking of Western Kansas, therefore
say with emphasis, If need be, warm De
cember day, some men without their coat
had come in from off their claims ant
were gossippiDg in front of the store a
Boom City. Boom City had been bull
day before yesterday and was already thu
queen city Of the west and great CONNER
cial center. She may not have been all
this to cold and unappreciative world
but she was all this to the
| Boom citizens Did not her news.
paper declare, and what more authentic
account do you want pray? That they
were negotiating for ten railroads, that
Main street lots were selling for hundreds
of dollars, that thousands of buildings were
being contracted for and that there were
millions in it?" Rome, slow old thing,
was not built in day, but Boom City GER
tainly had been. All the gentlemen in
front of the store had but a short time be-
fore been strangers to each other, but with
the freedom that pertains to the west they
were now very friendly and familiar. They
were laughing now at the nicknames be-
slowed on each one by humorist Of the
party. They were such coarse Manassas "a
Dutchman, :" "a dead beat" and so on.
They were very inappropriate and therefore
very funny. If they had been more ap-
propriate they would not have been so
pleasing, and the humorist might possibly
have gotten some of the humor knocked
out of him.
II say. fellows" inquired one, did you
know that Booby's claim had been jump.
ed?" mo" cried they all. HAS, for
fact They moved house from here to the
north end of the claim and there's a
family on 1t now" where's Booby?"
"gone to the road" There were various
comments. 81 say" loudly asserted the
humorist, II say am against such things
as jumping claims on principle. If this
kind of thing goes on, We won't none Of US
have nothin'. And I say" he cried louder
still, eff l was called on in court, I'd
swear that BOBBY had never left his claim
This sentiment was applauded. They
wouldn't have died for BOBBY; they would
not even have loaned him five dollars;
but In such case they would have perjur-
ed for him their immortal souls. There |
we're some things upon which this COM !
munity felt, and felt deeply. Lets go
over and scare the cayotel' This was the
umorist's appellation for the contesting
candidate for Booby's quarter section.
They soon reached the cabin mile away,
having added a very long rope, some dogs
and guns to their party. A little girl
played about the threshold of this poor
home and her call brought her mother, a
lair looking young woman, to the door.
Where's your husband," demanded the
The child frightened at the
angry faces, thrust her head into her
Mothers dress and began to cry; but
he woman never shrank. Her
ace was neither bold nor coarse,
)ut rather sweet; yet it was full of brave
courage and resolution. HE is dead" she
simply. At this unexpected ele-
nent in the case. some of the men separat-
d themselves from the humorist as if to
IMPLY they were of a different party. The
nan with the rope tried vainly to hide
IS dangling ends behind him, and they
With guns slung these unconcernedly over
heir shoulders. They began to move by,
me or them calling out, Were looking
or game round here. and herd you'd just
moved in, and thought we'd call and see If
here was anything we could do for you"
The woman smiled her thanks as the last
ne moved away. She had outraged their
principles, but she was an unprotected
woman and as such strongly appealed to
heir gallantry. To her, at least, they
ould say nothing. If she had spoken, she
would have pointed to her little daughter
S the motive for everything; she would
ave told them of the poverty of her own
outh, void of ease or pleasure, and her
nowledge of the value of this piece of q
md lying adjacent to growing town
he had supposed the claim abandoned '
Meanwhile BOBBY came back, and G
ften saw from his dug out window the @
ender figure coming and going at her t
ousehold tasks. She was his sworn ?
lemy, yet oddly enough he was attracted n
Y the child She was as fair and lovable C
bit of humanity as ever lived upon this Il
lfish earth. She was as pretty as q
over, as merry as bird and as bright
I'd sweet as bit of actual sunshine.
One afternoon BOBBY rode violently u
ome from town TO his dug out. 1t was q
e eth of January, fatal day long re- .
embered in Western Kansas because of
4 ri IL, which many many lives wpra .